Cat wakes sleeping owner to escape from fire

Firefighters in New Zealand said a man survived a fire inside his home thanks to his cat, which jumped on him to wake him up. Photo by BLANKartist/Shutterstock

Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Police in New Zealand said a man was able to escape from a fire thanks to his cat jumping on him and waking him up.

Fire and Emergency NZ said a crew from the Gisborne Station was dispatched along with Tolaga Bay volunteer firefighters Tuesday night when a fire was reported on a Whangara farm.

"When we arrived the building was fully involved in fire," Gisborne Station Officer Chris Grimson told the Gisborne Herald. "Our main priority was to stop the fire spreading to the nearby hillside and the trees and other vegetation on it."

Firefighter said no one was injured in the fire as the structure's only human occupant was saved by his cat.

"There was a couple living there and the man was asleep when the fire broke out. His partner was away in town," Grimson said. "He was wakened by their cat when the animal jumped on him."

"He got up to find smoke in the dining and kitchen area, and got out of the building through a bedroom window," he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Pennsylvania's McKeesport Fire Department said a couple were able to escape a fire in their home in March of this year when their cat ran into their bedroom in a panic and alerted them to smoke and flames inside the house.